4pm On Thinkers Corner, Roger Scruton reflects on the Rotherham adoption scandal: "Here were abandoned children being offered not just a home but a way into the surrounding society, a way of being normal and protected members of a successful historical community, the very community that granted protection in our formative years to you and me. It is precisely that positive result that horrified the social workers, and caused them to fall back on their fundamental axioms, which are not positive but negative."

"In
Rotherham, support for UKIP, the BNP and Respect pushed the
Conservatives into fifth place, and the Liberal Democrats into eighth.
The Rotherham Labour candidate Sarah Champion won the by-election, which
was caused by the resignation of Denis MacShane after a report
condemning him for abusing expenses. Ms Champion secured 9,866 votes — a
5,178 majority on a turnout of 34 per cent. The party had earlier said
it expected a victory margin of around 4,000." – The Times (£)

"Labour stormed to a second by-election victory in Middlesbrough,
with Andy McDonald securing 10,201 votes. UKIP’s Richard Elvin came
second on 1,990 votes — with the Lib Dems third and Tories fourth." – The Sun

"David Cameron moved swiftly to kill off the key proposal of the long-awaited Leveson report yesterday when he voiced severe doubts about new laws to regulate the Press. The Prime Minister put himself at odds with Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband in signalling he would not “cross the Rubicon” of using legislation to underpin a new regulator. Instead, he gambled that the Press would itself quickly embrace the principles laid out by Lord Justice Leveson." – The Times (£)

Leveson 2) Bercow grants Clegg separate Commons statement. LibDem leader agrees with Leveson over regulation, parts company with him over the regulator

"Mr Clegg suggested he supported changing the law, insisting it was 'the only way to guarantee' that the media was kept in check. He said a free Press 'does not mean a Press that is free to bully innocent people' and 'destroy lives'. However, he echoed Mr Cameron's concern about any involvement for Ofcom and the proposed tightening of data protection rules." – Daily Mail

Leveson 3) Miliband backs the entire report, which he can't have had time to read

"The PM’s stand also left him at loggerheads with Labour boss Ed Miliband, who demanded the report be implemented “in its entirety”. He added there could be “no more last chance saloons”. The Opposition leader told Mr Cameron he would try to persuade him of the need for the law in cross-party talks set up to search for a consensus. And Mr Miliband revealed he will force a vote in the Commons in January, or even before the end of the year if he could, adding: “We must act.” – The Sun

"Mr Hunt had been criticised by opponents for allegedly being “too close” to an executive from tycoon Rupert Murdoch’s company. But Lord Leveson found “no credible evidence of actual bias on the part of Mr Hunt” while playing a quasi-judicial role in the botched £8billion broadcast deal…Mr Hunt, who is now Health Secretary, said: “I welcome the fact the report states that not only was there no evidence of bias on my part in the handling of the BSkyB bid but that I put in place robust systems to ensure it would be handled impartially." – Daily Express

"The talks with Ed Miliband, Labour leader, and Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister, lasted less than 30 minutes. Mr Cameron promised to draft a bill on press regulation, but his allies said it was just to prove “how complicated it was”. He hopes the press will immediately set up a new regulator – independent of the industry – to reassure a highly sceptical public and prove that it is serious about rectifying serial malpractice which culminated in the phone hacking scandal." – Financial Times (£)

Leveson: politics

"No evidence" of News International deal with Cameron. Brown allegations slapped down. All recent Prime Ministers "too close" to media and Salmond too accommodating to Murdoch – The Times (£)

Salmond wants to implement Leveson in Scotland, is told to quit talks on the report after judge's criticisms of him – Scotsman

"Nearly every Tory MP other than Malcolm Rifkind,
including significant names such as David Davis, John Whittingdale and
Peter Lilley, gave solid support to Mr Cameron" – Quentin Letts, Daily
Mail

"If David Cameron has his way, the last chance saloon, far from being closed, is to be
refurbished – with exciting new decor, a wide range of guest beers, and
an all-day menu with tempting platters for sharing" – Simon Hoggart, The Guardian

Jeremy Hunt was wearing a smile as big as a banana – Michael Deacon, Daily Telegraph

"The moment of maximal danger for Britain’s press freedom lasted for precisely 99 minutes: the time between Lord Justice Leveson’s report being published, and the Prime Minister rejecting its most illiberal recommendations. It is as well the weighty tome was delivered to No 10 a day early, because it took quite a piece of investigative journalism to get to the bottom of it. It was clear the judge wanted Ofcom, the television regulator, to take the press into its purview. As the Prime Minister explained to his colleagues, this would create a tool that could be ratcheted up later on. Its very existence would be an affront to British liberty." – Fraser Nelson, Daily Telegraph

"Migration into Britain has seen the biggest fall in 20 years, official figures revealed yesterday. A total of 536,000 foreigners came to live here in 2011, 42,000 fewer than the year before. The drop was the biggest since immigration went down by 61,000 during the 1991 recession. The numbers entering Britain were the lowest since 2004, when hundreds of thousands of Eastern European workers were allowed in." – Daily Mail

"When this Government came to power we said we would get migration down from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands. Today’s figures mark the latest step towards achieving that goal and finally getting immigration under control." – Theresa May, Daily Express

Police to investigate website trading university scholarships for sex – The Independent

Energy bill: You will pay best part of £200 a year to fund green power

"Families will see fuel bills rise by £170 while heavy industries enjoy a tax break, it was revealed last night. Energy Secretary Ed Davey said “energy-intensive” firms would be exempt from extra costs created by the Government’s new green targets. But consumer groups warned families would pick up the tab by paying more for their gas and electricity. The tax break, unveiled yesterday as the new Energy Bill was finally published, was vital to prevent firms relocating abroad, said Mr Davey." – The Sun

"At a party on Wednesday Mr Johnson boasted of meeting a famous Bollywood actress on the flight to Mumbai – only cheerfully to admit he hadn’t the faintest idea who she was. Then there was the article with which he kicked off the visit in which he described ogling a pretty woman in the back of a Jaguar in New Delhi, an experience that brought about a “surging sense of hope”…This is the first of a spate of foreign trips, which many see as a bid to raise the mayor’s profile ahead of a move to usurp David Cameron at the helm of both the Tory party and the country." – Financial Times (£)

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